For the most part the plot kept my attention but the writing was so boring. All the characters sounded the same. About a third into the book, the time jumped so fast and everything was happening so quickly. So many times, I wanted to stop reading the book because the writing was so dry, but since I purchased the book I had to keep reading.

Hannah Brewster, an author grappling with anxiety, decides to spend the summer at her aunt’s house in Chatham, Cape Cod. This is where she grew up and where her sister Sara still resides, so Hannah eagerly anticipates spending quality time with her. The slower pace of life in Chatham contrasts sharply with her hectic daily routine in Brooklyn, NY, and Hannah hopes to make significant progress on her next book during this time.

Sara, a former librarian, wife, and mother of four boys, yearns for more fulfillment in her life. She recognizes that returning to the workforce will bring her the happiness she seeks. While her husband, Tom, is initially resistant to the idea, Sara remains steadfast in her belief that it will lead to her greater well-being.

Hannah’s path crosses with an old classmate, Spencer Williams. He has undoubtedly grown into a handsome man, and Hannah is undeniably drawn to him. However, her mind is preoccupied with other matters. Just having recently ended a relationship, she finds it difficult to even consider starting another one.

This book was a delightful read, even though its pacing was slow. Despite this, I found it incredibly easy to connect with all the characters in this engaging story.

Many thanks to Griffin and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

The Seaside Sisters book, a heartwarming romance novel, is the ideal summer read. The setting of this book is a small town by the ocean. So, you feel like you're enjoying a summer vacation in an ideal town to be in during the summer.

I appreciated the fact that the love story bloomed through time and friendship. Their relationship was wholesome and authentic, and everyone around them blessed it. While I can appreciate whirlwind romances, there's much to be said for relationships that blossom over time. Relationships that form that way tend to withstand the harsh realities of truly living together.

I appreciated that the author included various kinds of relationships in this book. The Seaside Sisters book also spent some time focusing on the struggles of married couples and their triumphs. It's inspiring to see how they overcome these struggles, and it will surely leave you feeling hopeful and inspired.

Overall, this book was fun and highly delightful to read. It felt like I was on vacation in Cape Cod, surrounded by all these lovely ladies. When an author can make me feel like I'm escaping reality, that's a sign of a truly entertaining read. I feel that both young and old can safely read this book and find it entertaining. So, if you have a teenager who loves to read romances, this is a great book to put in her hands.

Also, I can easily see Pamela turning this into a series in future books. The characters in this book are well laid out, and we can learn more about the romance of some of the other characters mentioned. The other gentleman Hannah dated, who has shown no signs of settling down, could be the basis for a great love story.

This one definitely fell flat for me. The title is misleading as the relationship between the sisters was barely something to be invested in. I didn’t like how the author described certain scenes. It felt forced and irrelevant to explain some of the things in detail like she did…and while she focused too much on irrelevant detail, there wasn’t enough on character building. I wasn’t invested in a single character in this book, I barely felt like I got their personality at all. Then a few characters were introduced briefly for about a chapter and then never mentioned again. What was the point of giving a backstory on characters if they didn’t matter at all to the story. Overall, it was ok, but I won’t be recommending it to others.

I was looking for something light after finishing an intense and emotional read. This book was steady, without any highs or lows, so it was good to clear my head. It’s more melodrama than romance. 

The Seaside Sisters by Pamela Kelley chronicles the lives of sisters Hannah and Sara, who are grieving their mother’s death in Chatham, Cape Cod, where their Aunt Maddie also lives. The three of them have problems with their male partners: Hannah has broken up with hers, Sara, a mother of four boys, is frustrated with being under-appreciated by her husband, and Maddie just wants time away from her long-time husband. 

There were extensive descriptions of food, drink, attire, mundane daily activities including, putting dinner on, choosing an outfit, and so on. This led to a lot of stage setting, drawing out the forward movement of the story.

A HEA arrived with little angst, fanfare, or chemistry. 

The Seaside Sisters is a good choice for those looking for something easy, breezy, and a tension-free escape. The audio narration was solid and easy to listen to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance audio copy of the book.

I just finished The Seaside Sisters by Pamela M Kelley and here are my thoughts.


Hannah is struggling to write her second novel after the success of her first and the personal loss she suffered months ago. Her aunt invites her to come visit so she can work on her book and relax. It’s a win-win as her sister Sara lives in Chatham too with her husband and four boys.

Sara wants more from her life than a stay at home mom and dreams of getting back into the book world so when she gets the chance to work in the local book shop, she is thrilled. Trouble is, her husband is not supportive.

Hannah gets the opportunity to shadow a lawyer, grumpy Spencer for her book and her whole world opens up in the most beautiful ways.

Pamela M Kelley always writes the coziest books. You know what you are going to get when you pick up one of her books and it is a beautiful story.

I didn’t feel as invested in Hannah as I did with Sara but I think that’s because I am also a mother who stays home and loves books. I always love small town cute books and this one scratched an itch I didn’t know I had. It was a quick sweet read and I enjoyed the heck out of it.

I love that we get the POV of family members and felt the story was well paced but I would have liked a little excitement. I also like the lengthy food parts in the books. Haters gonna hate haha and I am not one.

4 stars

Thank you to @stmartinspress for my gifted copy. Out now.

Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.

I wanted a solid contemporary romance and honestly this was fine and solid. Honestly it just read as dry after a while, with no huge revelations or love scenes which is why I reduced this down to 4 stars. "The Seaside Sisters" is a bit of a misnomer since at certain parts of the book we follow the two sisters, aunt, and a love interest. After a while it got to be a too much, so that knocked it down another star for me to 3 stars.

"The Seaside Sisters" follows Hannah, Sara, and their aunt Maddie. Hannah is dealing with some writer's block after her mother's death. Living in New York and loving it, she realizes that she is under a lot of stress. She decides to return to her hometown of Chatham, Cape Cod to recuperate and find her writing mojo. Hannah's sister Sara, is struggling with trying to find a job after years of being a SAHM. Sara's husband isn't being very supportive, and she's left wondering about the state of her marriage. Another person wondering about the state of their marriage, is the women's aunt Maddie. Maddie is separated from her long-time husband and wondering if she's ready to truly be single again.

I thought Hannah was fine, but very boring. I just didn't find myself invested in any of her love interests or her writing. Reading about someone trying to write romance scenes, and going to groups for that was very very dry. I had more interest in Sara's story-line honestly. And with Maddie, her career was interesting, but she seemed so indifferent to her husband and I didn't know what was going on with that at all. It felt like something that should have been cut.

Hannah's supposed love interest comes from a thousand miles away, which isn't a bad thing, but I saw no chemistry there. Sara's husband read very very different to me, so was surprised where things went. Same with Maddie's husband. I think that's the biggest issue. This book reads as three separate plots that could have been separate books. There's very few interactions between all of the women. And I will forever be confused why we got a throwaway third person point of view for the one love interest.

The setting of Chatham, Cape Cod sounded awesome. As did the food. I would love to visit there.

We do get several HEA's which were nice to read, but honestly this wasn't a book I can see me re-reading again and again.